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Brent Venables explains why he didn’t take the Auburn job during Oklahoma press conference
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As coaching carousels sped up and slowed down over the years and Brent Venables remained the Clemson defensive coordinator, many wondered what it would take to pry the top-paid assistant from South Carolina. As it turns out, home was enough.
Venables is the new head coach at Oklahoma, returning to the place where he first cut his teeth as a coach. Venables was an assistant on Bob Stoops’ staff from 1999 to 2011. Now he’s back in the Sooner State as the head man.
“This is an incredibly special opportunity,” Venables said in a statement released by the program upon his announcement, calling OU “one of the winningest and most tradition-rich programs in college football history.”
At a press conference Monday morning, though, he dropped a little nugget about his survey of the head coaching landscape in recent years.
Brent Venables dropping some tea at his Oklahoma press conference, saying he passed on the Auburn job because he didn't like their alignment.
— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) December 6, 2021
Auburn was open last cycle. The job went to Brian Harsin, who came over from Boise State. The Tigers went 6-6 in his first season, though they dropped their last 4 games.
According to AL.com’s John Talty, Venables’ comment on Auburn is something of a half-truth.
There's some truth to this. Venables talked to Auburn officials about the job last year. Saying he passed on it feels a bit strong given it never really got that far. Never felt like he was all that interested. https://t.co/HjE5wOqhtk
— John Talty (@JTalty) December 6, 2021
Harsin nearly won his first Iron Bowl as the Auburn head coach. He has the Tigers in the Birmingham Bowl against No. 20 Houston—kickoff at noon ET on Dec. 28.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
